Man With 'Custom Bong Device' Built Into His Car's Dashboard Arrested For 98th Time

I didn't realize it was illegal to make modifications to your car's dashboard, but it apparently is in Thurston County, Washington. After leading police on an ill-advised high-speed chase through Olympia, a man was arrested and his truck was searched. In it, police say they found "a custom bong device built into the dash of the truck so he could comfortably smoke drugs while driving." You're telling me that's wrong? I thought this was America. Oh, this was also the man's 98th arrest. However, his conviction ratio isn't too shabby — just four convictions with 27 prior misdemeanors.

In any case, the unidentified man and the woman he was with allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from multiple stores before the chase, according to KIRO 7 News Seattle. Of course, police chases often end with far greater property damage values than whatever he stole — not to mention the lives put at risk — but that's neither here nor there.

Deputies spotted his white Ford F-150 heading north on I-5 in Olympia, and before they had a chance to turn on their flashers, the truck sped off. After chasing him down, they tried an unsuccessful PIT maneuver, which could have gone very badly for everyone involved, and then backed off when the truck then allegedly began blowing through intersections while heading into Lacey, Washington. At various points during the chase, the driver hit over 100 mph and drove on the wrong side of the road, according to KOMO News.

A bit later, the truck was found abandoned on the side of the road, and police say they quickly found the dynamic duo walking in the neighborhood, KIRO 7 reports. Both suspects were taken into custody at gunpoint, but not before one more outlandish act. Deputies apparently saw a small white bag in the suspect's mouth and ordered him to spit it out. Instead, he began chewing it and swallowed it. What was in that bag? Well, he later told police it was meth. Lovely.

When the truck was searched, deputies say they found thousands of dollars worth of stolen merchandise from numerous businesses, more meth, heroin and fentanyl along with that "custom bong device" I'd really like to get my hands on for research reasons. I'm a journalist. I like to be thorough.

Anyway, Sheriff Derek Sanders of the Thurston County Sheriff's Office told KIRO 7 that the driver had been convicted four times previously for a number of thefts and had 27 misdemeanor convictions under his belt, along with 97 prior arrests. At least he'll know his way around the county jail, as he's being booked on charges of DUI, eluding and possession of narcotics. Once he's released from Thurston County Jail, he's also going to face charges of organized retail theft in Lewis County, Washington.

The suspect didn't appear as scheduled in court on March 24 because he was feeling ill, his attorney told KOMO News.